OVERVIEW

During 1999–2001, the United States played an active role in developing new treaties and instruments in the field of human rights. At the same time, the United States continued to recognize that promotion of human rights was just one component of overall U.S. foreign policy, which at times must compete with the advancement of U.S. national security and economic interests.

In implementing human rights norms, the United States adhered to certain U.S. laws restricting support for foreign states engaging in human rights abuses, and critcized such states in relevant international fora. The United States issued numerous reports on human rights in a wide variety of areas, ranging from the basic annual Department of State human rights reports to more specialized reports on religious freedom, torture, and trafficking in persons. Yet the United States itself proved unwilling to pursue certain matters, such as condemnation of Turkey for Armenian genocide of the early twentieth century, where doing so complicated U.S. security relationships, and proved unwilling to regard certain international human rights norms as having the force of law in U.S. law. Such actions exposed the United States to extensive criticism in the global community, including criticism by close allies and non-governmental organizations, which culminated in 2001 with the ousting of the United States from the seat it had held on the UN Human Rights Commission since the commission's inception.